LANCASTER - The Lancaster City School Board approved the purchase contract for the future General Sherman Junior High School site on Monday morning, with plans still set to open in August 2020.

Superintendent Steve Wigton said the board signed a $1.17 million purchase contract for a 42-acre site along Election House Road behind Bob-Boyd Ford on Monday.

"We hope to close on the property within the next couple of months," Wigton said. "We've already been talking with the city and the county concerning our site plan for that location."

Both the city and county will need to approve plans because Election House Road is located in the county, but the property sits in the city.

It's been a long process to find a viable plot of land for the west side school, taking nearly two years to purchase a spot to build.

"When you're a city district, it's hard to find 35-plus acres that you can find inside the city," Wigton said.

Earlier this year, the school had plans to purchase the "TimberTop" and adjacent Pulte properties, located at 2200 N. Columbus St., but abandoned the idea after discovering the high costs it would take to develop the 83-acre site. The site was larger and could have accommodated a new transportation hub, but it was more costly at $1.46 million

The Election House Road location is too small to move transportation operations there in addition to the junior high school, so Wigton said the district will still be purchasing a new property for that purpose.

There are several reasons the Election House Road location is ideal, Wigton said, including that it's in the growing area of the city and its utilities and roadway capabilities.

"We hope to break ground this coming spring," Wigton said, adding that construction plans are still on schedule.

The total cost for the construction of the new school is still being determined.